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Creative Europe MEDIA at the 79th Venice International Film Festival

The 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival will take place from 31 August until 10 September 2022, with the participation of 9 EU-supported films under the Creative Europe MEDIA programme. MEDIA will also host 3 events under the theme ‘Europe in Focus’ at Venice Production Bridge.

still of the film The Happiest Man in the World by Teona Strugar Mitevska

© Sisters and brother Mitevski (North Macedonia) / Entre Chien et Loup (Belgium) / Vertigo (Slovenia) / Frau Film (Denmark) / Terminal 3 (Croatia) / SCCA/pro.ba (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

MEDIA-supported films

Among the list of audiovisual works featured at Venice International Film Festival, nine have been supported by Creative Europe MEDIA programme in their development. Four are shortlisted for the prestigious ‘Orizzonti competition’, honouring films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends.

The Awards under this section are for Best Film, Best Director, Special Orizzonti Jury Prize, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Short Film. The winners will be announced on Saturday 10 September during the closing ceremony.

  • ‘Victim’ (‘Obet'’) by Michal Blaško (SK, CZ, DE)
  • ‘Innocence’ by Guy Davidi (DK, FI, IS, IL)
  • ‘To the North’ by Mihai Mincan (RO, FR, GR, BG, CZ)
  • ‘The Happiest Man in the World’ (‘NajsreЌniot čovek na svetot / Najsretniji čovjek’) by Teona Strugar Mitevska (BE, HR, DK, SL, MK, BA)

Additionally, ‘Riget Exodus’ by Lars von Trier (DK) will be showcased in the 'Out of Competition' section.

Four other have been selected for the independent section ‘Giornate degli Autori’, formerly Venice Days, and now in its 19th edition - held in parallel to the festival. The winners will be announced on Friday 9 September.

  • ‘Dirty Difficult Dangerous’ by Wissam Charaf (FR, IT, LB)
  • ‘Wolf and Dog; (Lobo e cao) by Claudia Varejao (PT)
  • ‘Padre pio’ by Abel Ferrara (IT, DE, UK)
  • ‘Kristos, the last child’ by Giulia Amati (IT)

 

MEDIA-supported VR projects

During the VIFF, Venice Production Bridge will organise the Venice Gap-Financing Market, a 3-day event (2 to 4 September) to help producers secure financing for their projects through in-person one-to-one meetings. Among the 11 selected VR works, one was supported by MEDIA for its development:

  • Bliss Club VR (Jouissance Club VR) by Camille Duvelleroy, Atlas V (FR)

 

MEDIA-supported events

La Biennale di Venezia in association with MEDIA presents three events Europe in Focus during the Venice Production Bridge.

How to turn XR into a commercial art form

  • Saturday 3 September from 11:00 to 12:30 p.m.
  • Venice Immersive Island, Spazio Incontri Immersivo
  • This session will not be streamed

Starting from the experience of VR projects supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the panel discussion aims to explore how to make immersive content and new forms of creation accessible to a wider audience through innovative models for collaborations, sales strategies and circulation.

  • Introduction by Lucia Recalde Langarica, Head of Unit Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes, European Commission.
  • Case study of the VR experimental documentary “Affiorare" (Surfacing) by its director Rossella Schillaci
  • Panel with:
    • [Moderator] Ulrich Schrauth, Artistic director at VRHAM! Virtual Reality and Arts Festival (DE)
    • Paul Bouchard, VR Acquisitions & international distribution, Diversion cinema (FR)
    • Rossella Schillaci, director of the VR experimental documentary "Affiorare" (Surfacing) a coproduction My Boss Was (IT) and Laranja Azul (PT)
    • Philipp Wenning, director and VR producer of the VR project "The Towers of February", Studio Philipp Wenning Expanding Focus GmbH (DE)
    • Babette Wijntjes, distributor, Cassette (NL) presenting an innovative pilot project introducing immersive media into cinemas.

 

VR/AR in Europe: A Flourishing Content Ecosystem

  • Saturday 3 September, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
  • Venice Immersive Island, Spazio Incontri Immersivo
  • Public streaming

Following the presentation of the strategic paper on VR/AR in Europe published by the Commission, the panel will focus on the flourishing European VR/AR content ecosystem, and how these technologies are bringing high-quality European stories out in the world. As a truly international and cross-disciplinary format, how do we ensure the best conditions for Europe? How does the findings in the strategic paper reflect real-world conditions? And what’s next for Europe’s flourishing content ecosystem?

  • Welcome by Pascal Diot, Head of the Venice Production Bridge
  • Introduction by Member of the European Parliament Iban Garcia del Blanco
  • Presentation of the strategic paper on VR/AR in Europe by Davide Bevacqua from Ecorys
  • Panel with:
    • [Moderator] Liz Rosenthal, Curator of the Biennale's Venice International Film Festival’s Immersive Content Official Selection and Competition, Founder & CEO of Power to the Pixel and Executive Producer for CreativeXR
    • Jeanne Marchalot, Head of the Francetv StoryLab, France.TV StoryLab
    • Ana Brzezińska, XR industry expert and curator for Tribeca Immersive
    • Michel Reilhac, Curator of Venice VR at the Biennale di Venezia
    • Gayatri Parameswaran, Co-founder, Nowhere Media
  • Conclusions and summary by Lucia Recalde, Head of Unit Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes, European Commission.

 

Creating European Stories Through Cross Cultural Networks: Presentation of the EWC and the Creative Connection

  • Sunday 4 September, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
  • Hotel Excelsior, Spazio Incontri
  • Public streaming

In 2021, the Commission launched a first call for proposals “Writing European” to support creative hubs that will act as accelerators or incubators of scriptwriting talents. Selected projects, European Writing Club (EWC) and European Writing Club, will select and guide writers from conceptualisation to the actual writing of fiction series projects and potential matchmaking with buyers. The event will be an occasion to present the two projects selected in the pilot action “Writing European” in 2021.

  • Introduction by Member of the European Parliament Massimiliano Smeriglio
  • Setting the scene by Lucia Recalde, Head of Unit Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes, European Commission
  • Moderators: Nawell Amour (Project Manager, EWC) and Laura Gragg (Head of Programme, The Creative Connection, FR)
  • Guest Speakers EWC:
    • Thomas Gammeltoft (Head of Programme, EWC)
    • Nicola Lusuardi (Scriptwriter, IT)
  • Guest Speakers The Creatives:
    • Carole Scotta (Haut et Court, FR)
    • Leontine Petit (Lemming Film, NL)
    • Rebecca Zlotowski (Writer/director, FR)
  • Conclusion by Member of the European Parliament Tomasz Frankowski (PO)  

 

 

 

About Creative Europe MEDIA

MEDIA Sub-programme of Creative Europe is designed to support European film and other audiovisual industries. It provides funding for the development, promotion and distribution of European works within Europe and beyond. It invests in the training of producers, film distributors, directors, and screenwriters to help them adapt to new technologies. Each year, MEDIA supports around 2,000 European projects including films, TV series, video games, training programmes, cinemas and much more.